Automatic railway-frog



(No Model.) 2' sheets-sheet 1.

HY'A. HANGQX. AUTOMATIG RAILWAY FROG. No. 470,486. Patented Mar. 8,1892.

W/T/VESSES: oz

ATTORNEY.

m: "on"; PETERS 120., mum-Lima. vusnmm'on, n, c.

(No Model.) 2 SheetS--Sheet 2.

H, A; HANGOIL AUTOMATIC RAILWAY FROG;- o. 470,486. Patented Mar. 8; 18-92.

- Z M A r I 0'. e.

WIT E8858.

w A! Z? -fi A TTORIVEY.

ma mamas versus co maro-umo., wAsmuoroN, n. c

STATES HENRY A. HANCOX, OF MELROSE, lVlASSACllUSE'l TS.

AUTOMATIC RAILWAY-FROG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 470,486, dated March 8, 1892. Application filed May 20, 1891. Serial No. 393,505. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY A. HANCOX, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Melrose, in the county of Middlesex and State make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form 'a part of this specification.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a plan view. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the link-blocking mechanism with the tongue thrown to form the continuity of the main-line rail. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the center one-half thrown, with the upper plate and tongue in equipoise. Fig. 4 is an elevation of the link-lockin g mechanism in its opposite position from that shown in Fig. 2, the tongue forming the continuity of the side-track rail. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the pivotal heel of the tongue. Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the heel through the pivot on the line to w of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of one of the wheel-beams with its connecting devices. v

The object of my invention is to form a continuous track at the frog by introducing a movable tongue or point which is self-locking and automatically adjustable when accidentally misplaced, thereby offering a smooth, unbroken, and safe rail for the passage of trains.

The invention relates to the means employed for locking the tongue effectually during the transit of a train, the means employed for avoiding an imperfect throw of the tongue, the wheel-beams for correcting a misplacement, whereby the wheels of an approaching train will automatically adjust the tongue to form the continuity of the rail traversed, the guard-rails for the purpose of guiding the passing wheels over the wheel -beams, the means for blocking and bolting together the wing-rails, the pivoted device at the heel of the tongue and the accompanying blocks and fillers, also the general novel construction and combination of the parts, all as hereinafter described and claimed.

The letters A A represent the main-track stock-rails; B B, the side-track stock-rails.

C O are fixed guard-rails made with Winged ends and firmly spiked and braced at 1 a a a.

D D are planed rails bolted together to form the movable tongue-rail, which terminates at E and has its pivot at F. This tongue moves between two fixed wing-rails G G, secured and strengthened by the bolted blocks and fillers Z) c c and the braces (Z d and ff, together forming the throat of the frog. The tongue D D rests upon the point-carrying plate H H and is secured to it by the bolts 2' i and blocksjj, having slightly-elongated bearings for said bolts and held in place by the riveted braces e 6, having slightly-curved bearings, as shown in Fig. 1. The plate H H has projections cast on the upper side through which the steel bolts Z Z pass, securing it to the links J J and K K, which are in like manner fastened by the steel pivot m m to the surface or bed-plate I I. The links J J have projecting studs 7r. It, to which are fastened the pull-rod g g, which is also attached at its ends to the horizontal bell-cranks L L. The boll-cranks L L are in like manner attached to the connecting-rods h h z z, of which 2 2 connect them directly with the switch and stand, while h h connect th'ei'n with the vertical bell-cranks O O in the standards T T and by said bell-cranks with the Wheel-beams M w and M 0a, which are more fully set forth and claimedin an application already filed in the Patent Office, Serial No. 394,606, dated May 29, 1891.

P P are surface blocks upon which rest the stock-rails A B and from which project arms, upon which the horizontal bell-cranks L L pivot.

At the heel F of the point-rails, U designates a filler-casting so formed as to receive the pivot-pin n and conform to the segment of a perfect circle. This is inclosed by the blocks 0 0', which are bolted inside the carrying-rails A B and have concave bearings to correspond in shape. The outside blocks 29 p, bolted outside the carrying-rails AB, are also shaped each to form a circular convex segment with the radial point atn, and these segmental parts being inclosed and engaged by circular arms 1 q of the tongue, which have cast on their inner ends projecting beads to,

which fit into corresponding depressions in the blocks 19 p',thus interlocking them. (See Fig. 6.) This depression is an elongated lateral groove, which allows horizontal movement, but not vertical. On the outside of the tongue-arms qq are projecting flanges q, similar in shape to a one-half section of a standard rail-base. These are overlapped by the fixed braces r 7*, which in turn are spiked through the surface-plates s s to the sleeper. The self-locking device embraces the quad ruple link mechanism, which is similar in action to that of a parallel rule. Pivoting at mm, it is obvious that the upper plate H H, holding the tongue D, must be thrown, traversing an are which terminates on the same horizontal plane as the point of departure with a vertical rise proportional to the radius. As by this arrangement no horizontal movement can be made without a proportional vertical action, the tongue is thereby rendered absolutely fixed or immovable while the train is upon it.

The wheel-beams M w M as are distant more than double the gage and perform the double office of correcting both frog and switch when accidentally or maliciously misplaced and approached from this direction by a passing train, and this is invariably and fully accomplished before the wheels pass upon the movable frog-tongue. By its divergent location at the frog end of the turn-out the beam on guard (as at M to, Fig. 1) is so situated that ample space is secured for the passage of the snow-plows, which usually have a lateral lap of some twenty inches along the railsA A or along the rails BB when the beam M 00 stands on guard. It also permits, on account of the divergence of the rails at the frog, the introduction of the guard-railsO O for the purpose of truing up the passing wheels in their relative position to the rails and forcing them to traverse the beam on guard.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of the main-track stockrails A A, the side-track stock-rails B B, fixed guard-rails O 0, having winged ends, and the compound frog-tongue consisting of the planed point-rails D D, the filler-casting at their heel ends bolted thereto and having the segmental portion to receive the pivot-pin, said tongue resting upon the point-carrying plate H H, and the link, connecting-rod, and bell-crank mechanism, substantially as specified.

2. The combination, with the pivotal compound tongue D D, secured to the point-carrying plate H H by bolts 11 't', blocksj j, having slightly-elongated bearings for said bolts, and the riveted braces e e, of projections on the upper side of the plate H, links J J and K K, pivoted to said plate and to the bedplate, and the connecting-rods, bell-cranks, and wheel-beams, substantially as specified.

3. The combination,with the plate H H,

the bed-plate I I, the parallel moving links connecting said plates, projecting studs on the links J J, and pull-rods g g, connected to said studs and to the wheel-beam-actuated bell-cranks, substantially as specified.

4. The compound frog-tongue consisting of the planed point-rails and the filler-casting at their heel ends bolted thereto and having a segmental portion to receive the pivot-pin, substantially as specified.

5. The combination, with the compound frog-tongue, its pivoted filler-casting, and the external circular flanged arms having inside beads, of the converging track-rails, their turn-blocks having concave bearings to engage the pivotal filler-casting,- grooved exterior blocks to engage the beaded arms of the frog-tongue, and braces engaging the flanges of saidarms, substantially as specified.

6. The combination,with the pivoted frogtongue, of the point-carrying plate, its blocks and braces, the bed-plate under said pointcarrying plate, and the parallel moving links at each side of the tongue connecting said point-carrying plate to said bed-plate, substantially as specified. 7

7. The parallel-moving links J J K K, in connection with the plates H I, fastened by the pins Z on, in combination with the movable or swinging point rail or tongue D E, held by the riveted braces e 6, blocks j j and bolts 2' t', forming a self-locking mechanism, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

8. The winged rails G G, blocks 0 c, filler b, and braces d dff, in combination with the movable point rail or tongue D E and link mechanism H I J K, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

9. The pivot mechanism at the heel of the tongue, comprising the steel pin 01., filler-casting U, blocks 0 0, the outside blocks 13 p, arms q q, with the beads Q) 1;, and correspond- IIO ing depressions in the blocks 19 p, in combination with the fixed rails A B A B and tongue D E, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

10. The combination of fixed guard-rails C O, wheel-beams M M, bell-cranks O 0, standard T T, connecting-rods h h horizontal bellcranks L L, pull-rod g g, parallel moving link mechanism H I J K, and movable tongue D E, said tongue moving between fixed wingrails G G, secured by the blocks and fillers b c c and the braces d d and ff, together forming the throat of the frog, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY A. HANCOX. 

